Ah, so Richard Blandford says the swastikas were for purely decorative effect, Bow was oblivious to its political symbolism. The same can’t be said for Henry Ford, who as I recall was decorated by the Nazis prior to WWII.

Well, it’s the 20s, OK? No nazis yet, but the swastika exists as a religious symbol without any sinister meaning. And then as now, fashion designers love raiding other cultures for designs and imagery…

Perhaps it is just a thing about being controlled by strong, beautiful, cruel women that sems to excite some people. For example during the whole incident a little while ago about Rose McGowan making her inadviseable statements in support of IRA bombings, someone I spoke to stated that “she could blow me up any time!”

I remember as a boy reading in Playboy magazine a quote from Woody Allen, where he stated that if he had to die, he would choose to go smothered by the flesh of Italian actresses. I would modify that statement by inserting the flesh of Rose McGowan. Not a great actress, but a likable one.

These days, Bellucci may be the only game in town, but if I was picking one from the classic era, it would have to be Cardinale. It’s that likable thing. Of course Lollobrigda and Loren are great, and the others, and Ekberg, who we can class as an honorary Italian, but CC is the one for me.

I think the debate of the meaning of symbol at the time of the photograph is irrelevant as the nazi regieme doctored a lot of iconic american press and movie stills and used them as propaganda. This may well be one such image.